BRIDGEPORT — Carbón Live Fire Mexican Grill has reopened in West Town after an E. coli outbreak at their Bridgeport headquarters sickened more than 50 customers.
By Saturday, the number of victims had reached 54, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. At least 15 people have been hospitalized since the outbreak began at 300 W. 26th St.
The E. coli outbreak forced Carbón to close both its restaurants until an investigation is complete. On Saturday, the Health Department cleared the restaurant to reopen at 810 N. Marshfield Ave.
“After conducting a thorough inspection of Carbón’s second location on Marshfield, CDPH’s Food Protection Team determined that the restaurant was safe, clean, and able to meet all requirements for a safe reopening," according to a statement from Health Department spokesman Matt Smith.
The Bridgeport restaurant remains closed. Carbón owners have not answered requests for comment on the outbreak that forced them to cancel plans to participate in this year's Taste of Chicago.
The outbreak led Chicago resident Melissa Andrews, who spent days in the hospital after eating some of the restaurant's chicken tacos, to file a lawsuit against the restaurant.
She seeks compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and her suffering, according to Bill Marler, the Seattle-based lawyer representing Andrews and four others who said they were sickened.
City records show Carbón had passed every one of nine city health inspections since 2011. Four of those inspections happened after customers complained.
E. coli symptoms include debilitating stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Though most cases clear up in a week, the worst of them can cause a type of kidney failure known as hemolytic uremic syndrome.
The most common form of E. coli causes an estimated 96,000 illnesses, 3,200 hospitalizations and 31 deaths in the U.S. every year, according to Food Safety News.
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